If betrayed Enron employees had, rope in hand, swarmed over the barricades, pulled Lay out of his bed, and strung him up by his neck, THAT would have been lynching. What happened to Lay in the court room goes by another name.

Justice.

Stealing the life savings of hundreds of hard working Americans is pretty much the same as being dragged down the road chained to the back of a pickup truck. I can see how he came up with that analogy.

I hate white people.

Wasn't it 1998, not 1988?

Oh yeah, that metaphor? Absurd.

I feel cheated. An actual lynching might have been appropriate for Kenny-boy! Oh! And I hope that, when that preachers time has come, he enjoys a nice heart to heart with Mr. Byrde as the preachers feet are tied to the express train to hell!

Shameless - what allows people to be that audacious?

just for the record the Reverend William Lawson appears to be a black man. (http://www.wheelerbc.org/revwilliamalawson.htm)

count him as another Uncle Tom for the GOP

Also, it's interesting that Bush was there. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't he not attended a single memorial service for our soldiers in Iraq?

It's not like he's really dead, anyway!

Did anyone check the coffin? People that evil don't die so easily.

I wanted more from this story, like what defense the preacher could possibly have had for this comparison. And a comment about how noxious the spin machine gets. Are we really supposed to lay down our judgment for this crap? The day Ken Lay died, the news was full of stupid stories, like, "experts say getting indicted for being a greedy bastard can be harmful to your health." Really? Wow. So, the being a greedy bastard part didn't have anything to do with it?

Ken Lay had nothing in common with anyone who has ever tried to improve the lot iof his fellow man.

Ken Lay was not out to improve anyone's life but Ken Lay's.

It is clear, given his history, that Ken Lay was a criminal constantly on the make, a con artist forever seeking a mark to clip. Lay found millions of unsuspecting, trusting marks in California (and elsewhere) and never once did he hesitate to take unfair and unethical advantage.

Enron was not designed (as most businesses are) to put a quality product on the market at a fair price; Enron was not designed to treat its customers with deference and respect.

No! As the poster-child for the GOP's "New Economy" (think: Mussolini's "Economic Miracle"), Enron was designed from the start as a scam - a vehicle for stealing from private and public citizens alike.

And the Mafia-Style "bust out" that ocurred - that, too, was planned - right down to the last penny in the pension fund.

Period. End of story.

a perfect example of how completely fucked up these evangelical christians are in this country. I've read other articles where these preachers and friends compare Ken Lay to JESUS????? robbing people of their pensions, destroying lives of people who lost medical benefits and livihoods because they were gaming the system is JUST LIKE JESUS???? what bible are they reading or have they now included payote in their rituals?

...is NOT always patriotism. Coming up close behind the time-tested facade of patriotism is RELIGION. More correctly, though, this variety of scoundrel relies more on religiosity, marked by the sudden outward proclamation of religious faith, sometimes accompanied by actions usually associated with religious faith. (It's also quite common to see a seamless merging of overt patriotism and religiosity, leading to a hybrid that's difficult to beat!)

There are multiple cases of this religiosity to which you could point, but perhaps the most prominent is Richard Scrushy of HealthSouth. It's awfully easy to proclaim deep faith after you get into legal trouble, especially when that often translates into automatic support by others who proclaim similar deep faith.

Chew on this from Rev. Dr. William Lawson, offered at Lay's memorial service in Houston: "(Like Jesus Christ) he was crucified by a government that mistreated him."

The Reuters story on his memorial had this as its second line: "Friends and family lauded as a devout Christian and family leader the man who built Enron into an international energy powerhouse before its collapse in the biggest corporate scandal of its time."

I don't pretend to be able to look into the soul of other people (unlike Pres. Bush, who has this rare ability, which enabled him to see the "goodness" in Vladimir Putin), but it's hard to believe that robber barons like Lay and Scrushy are truly aligned with real Christian principles.

Please note that James Byrd was brutally murdered in 1998, and not 1988, as stated in your article. Please make this correction. Thank you.

Just goes to show you shouldn't trust preachers.

On another note, my boyfriend's convinced that Ken Lay is alive and well and living somewhere in South America. The timing of his death was a little too convenient. Also, note that this was a memorial service, not a funeral. The body was cremated. Yes, verrrrry convenient.

Ken Lay had a trial by a jury of his peers, in a United States courtroom where he was represented by the best legal counsel money can buy. Then he died of arteriosclerotic heart disease in his lavish vacation home in a Colorado resort area.

James Byrd ... mmmmmm.... let's see...no trial, no jury, no courtroom, no lawyer, no vacation home. Beaten, dragged and decapitated.

Somebody needs to be tested for tertiary syphilis. Because I cannot imagine an undiseased brain coming up with such a comparison.

"Also, it's interesting that Bush was there. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't he not attended a single memorial service for our soldiers in Iraq?"

George HW Bush is no longer president. I don't think he should attend a military funeral unless it is for kin. Certainly, none of his children or grandchildren are in the military, so really, there's no point.

Thanks, I didn't catch that it was 41 at the service. That explains the lack of controversy. And though I never thought I would during his administration, I actually do miss the H. Everything's relative I guess.